"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Inmarsat has three launch contracts with SpaceX. Up to now, it had planned to launch its Inmarsat 5-F4 Ka-band broadband mobile communications satellite on a Falcon 9 in late 2016; an S-band aeronautical-connectivity satellite on a new Falcon Heavy rocket in early 2017; and the first of the Inmarsat-6 satellites after that.

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Inmarsat has decided to stick with SpaceX for the 5-F4 satellite, but to seek alternatives for the mid-2017 S-band satellite launch.

“It’s largely a function of where you are in the manifest,” Pearce said of Inmarsat’s launch reasoning. “With Inmarsat 5 F4, we’re well up in the queue — I think we are number five or six....With the S-band EAN satellite, he said, the reasoning is different.

“We are further [back in] the queue and therefore there’s a risk of further delays because SpaceX not only has to get back to flight but to demonstrate that it can maintain a very good launch schedule. So you could presumably have a day-to-day delay....Pearce said it remain possible that SpaceX will be able to confirm a May or June launch, but that would be difficult to achieve in the deadline Inmarsat has to find an alternative rocket....“It’s probably more likely we would look to exercise one of the options we have been quietly cultivating behind the scenes,” Pearce said. “We’ve talked about one of them, which is the [International Launch Services] Proton launch that we have up our sleeve anyway. But we do have other options as well...”

Why would Inmarsat not switch this to a Falcon 9 launch, like they hinted at in August? Furthermore, why would they not swap it with Inmarsat 5 F4 (which weighs more), as this satellite is so much more important for the company financially?

Why would Inmarsat not switch this to a Falcon 9 launch, like they hinted at in August? Furthermore, why would they not swap it with Inmarsat 5 F4 (which weighs more), as this satellite is so much more important for the company financially?

If this launch stays with SpaceX then it will almost certainly launch on F9. As for swapping, Inmarsat 5 F4 was probably finished first and they may actually want it to be launched. If they have options for launching EuropaSat then why would they leave Inmarsat 5 F4 sitting on the ground?

There may be a LOT of payloads ahead of EuropaSat on the SpaceX manifest. I count about 18 payloads listed for SpaceX through the first half of 2017. If EuropaSat is towards the end of that list (I don't know how many payloads are ahead of it but Inmarsat implied it's not near the top) and SpaceX started launching twice a month in December, it could potentially be July/August before even an F9 is available. If SpaceX can't sustain twice a month starting in December it could take even longer. It's easy to understand why Inmarsat is looking at whether to switch this payload to another launch provider (but we still don't know if they will or not).

Per NSF Russian Launch Schedule: EuropaSat/HellasSat 3 has been reassigned to fly on launcher Proton-M. SpaceX contract for flight of EuropaSat/HellasSat 3 was not cancelled, rather another company payload (unknown) will fly on the booked flight on an unknown date.

Ariane 5 build-up for Arianespace's Flight VA238The build-up process for Flight VA238’s Ariane 5 at the Spaceport began with erection of the core cryogenic stage and its positioning over the launch table inside the Launcher Integration Building ([see previous post] photos left and center), followed by the first of two solid booster rollouts for mating with the core stage ([see previous post] photo at right).

The Spaceport’s ability to support Arianespace’s launch cadence by enabling multiple missions to be readied in parallel is demonstrated once again with the two Ariane 5s currently undergoing processing in French Guiana.

Inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building, the Ariane 5 for Flight VA238 is taking shape for a June 28 liftoff with a dual-satellite payload: the Hellas-Sat 3/Inmarsat S multi-mission relay satellite for Inmarsat and Hellas-Sat; and the Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-17 communications spacecraft.

This heavy-lift vehicle’s build-up process began with the positioning of its core cryogenic stage over one of two mobile launch tables for Ariane 5. It cleared the way for the transfer of two large solid propellant boosters from their remote preparation zone to the Launcher Integration Building, where they will be mated to the Ariane 5’s core stage.

Ariane 5’s build-up performed by Airbus Safran Launchers

The basic build-up will then be completed with integration of Ariane 5’s cryogenic upper stage and vehicle equipment bay, followed by checkout and functional tests.

Flight VA238’s launcher will then be ready for transfer to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, where it will receive the Hellas-Sat 3/Inmarsat S and GSAT-17 satellite passengers.

The Final Assembly Building currently is occupied by the Ariane 5 for Arianespace Flight VA237, which is set for a June 1 liftoff with the ViaSat-2 and Eutelsat E172B telecommunications satellites. This Ariane 5 is installed on the second mobile launch table used by Arianespace’s heavy-lift vehicles, and awaits its dual-passenger payload integration.

Arianespace is targeting a total of 12 missions in 2017 utilizing its family of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and light-lift Vega. So far in 2017, the launch services company has performed five flights from the Spaceport: two each with Ariane 5 and Soyuz, along with one Vega mission.

24 May 2017: The satellite which will power Inmarsat’s revolutionary European Aviation Network (EAN) has been shipped to the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana in preparation for launch in June.

Inmarsat’s S-band satellite is part of a condominium satellite, or ‘condosat’, constructed by Thales Alenia Space, which incorporates a second payload for Hellas-Sat. It will be launched by Arianespace on an Ariane 5 rocket.

The first of its kind worldwide, the EAN will combine high capacity, multi-beam satellite coverage with a complementary 4G LTE ground network, developed by Deutsche Telekom, to provide high-speed passenger Wi-Fi on flights across all European Union states.Busy routes

Designed specifically for high-traffic flight paths and busy airport hubs, the integrated network will deliver high-speed capacity so that passengers can enjoy a reliable broadband service in the air that matches their expectations on the ground.

The Hellas-Sat satellite will provide fixed satellite and broadcast satellite services to Europe, the Middle East and Southern Africa.

Built on Thales Alenia Space’s Spacebus 4000 C4 platform, the condosat will weigh about 5.8 tonnes at launch and will offer payload power of approximately 12.7 kW. It will be positioned at 39° East.